


Not So Lonely Bones

by YetAnother



Series: Lonely Bones [2]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Depression, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-02
Updated: 2018-03-02
Packaged: 2019-03-26 02:34:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13848267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YetAnother/pseuds/YetAnother
Summary: An alternate happy ending to Lonely Bones.





	Not So Lonely Bones

**Author's Note:**

> I love smart and thoughtful Papyrus. This is supposed to be an alternate ending that merges off right after Papyrus feeds Sans soup in bed but right before Sans asks why Papyrus has been acting gentler lately. Basically it's if he kept his mouth shut and also loved Papyrus back.  
> Which was how it was supposed to end in the first place I don't know where all that angst came from.

 Papyrus disappears for a moment, going downstairs to clean the bowl before he returns back upstairs to sit next to his brother in a comfortable silence.

 Sans leans against him and Papyrus wraps an arm around him, keeping him close.

They stay like that for a long time. Sans has questions on his mind, but he can't bear to break the silence, afraid that it'll ruin the calm that has settled around them. Answers aren't really as important as spending time with Papyrus, feeling like everything is fine for once. That wonderful feeling of being complete, connected, and grounded is filling up the empty space of his soul, and he knows it's all because Papyrus is with him.

He'd give anything to keep this sort of inner peace with him for the rest of his life.

Eventually it gets dark outside, and he feels Papyrus's hold on him lax before the monster starts to stand up. Sans grabs hold of Papyrus's arm, holding it and keeping his brother from walking away.

"IT'S GETTING LATE, SANS. WE SHOULD GET TO BED." Papyrus says, but his tone sounds unsure.

"just stay with me, paps, please." Sans asks, voice small. "don't leave me alone."

Papyrus hesitates before climbing onto Sans's mattress, and they find themselves laying nearly on top of each other. Sans's bed is small, and Papyrus's legs go past the edge, onto the carpet. Sans pulls the blanket around the both of them, then wraps his arms around his brother and presses his face into Papyrus's chest.

"ARE YOU SURE THIS IS COMFORTABLE FOR YOU?" Papyrus asks.

"there's no place more comfortable than your arms." Sans replies, and then they're both silent.

They spend the night curled around each other.

 

They wake slowly, neither one really wanting to separate from the other. Sans sighs in defeat when Papyrus eventually starts to pull away, and it's almost enough to draw Papyrus back.

"ARE YOU OKAY IF I GO TO WORK TODAY?" Papyrus asks, looking out the window to try and gauge the current time.

"yeah, i guess so. i don't think i'll be able to make it, though. my stomach feels like i got a hole in it." He lifts his jacket to reveal the blank space in front of his spine, where a stomach would be if he had flesh. "well whaddya know? i do." He chuckles a bit to himself, but Papyrus just makes an unimpressed hum.

"EVEN SO, PLEASE TRY TO EAT SOMETHING TODAY. I'M PROBABLY GOING TO BE HOME AT MY USUAL TIME NOW, UNDYNE'S HOUSE IS FIXED." Papyrus heads to his own room, and Sans stands up to follow him.

"wow, that was pretty fast."

"IT USUALLY IS. I AM PLANNING TO HAVE QUITE A TALK WITH HER TODAY." Papyrus starts going through his closet, looking through the clothes he doesn't often wear anymore because of his preference for his battle body.

"because of your fight yesterday? what was it even about?"

Papyrus sighs. "SHE THINKS A HUMAN WILL BE COMING SOON, AND SHE WAS DISPLEASED WITH THE LETHALITY OF MY TRAPS, OR RATHER, WITH THE LACK OF LETHALITY. SHE THINKS THAT WHEN THE TIME COMES, I WILL NOT BE ABLE TO DO WHAT IS NEEDED TO SAVE MONSTERKIND."

"… will you be able to...?" Sans asks.

Papyrus stares at his own two feet for a while. "I'M NOT SURE. WHAT IF... WHAT IF THE HUMAN IS JUST A LITTLE CHILD? WHAT IF THEY'RE SCARED AND CRYING? I DON'T THINK... I MEAN, EVEN IF IT WILL BENEFIT ALL OF US, IS IT REALLY ALRIGHT TO TAKE THE LIFE OF AN INNOCENT?"

"that's a tough question, paps. i'm guessing she thinks it is?"

"YES, SHE DOES, AND I CAN'T FAULT HER. WE ALL WANT TO GET TO THE SURFACE, AND WITH SIX HUMANS ALREADY DEAD IT HARDLY SEEMS WISE TO STOP NOW." Papyrus pulls out an outfit and gently rubs the fabric in between his fingers, his expression is thoughtful and solemn. "STILL, I CAN'T HELP BUT WONDER... WILL IT REALLY BE WORTH IT TO GET ONTO THE SURFACE, IF THE FIRST THING WE'RE GOING TO DO IS GO TO WAR WITH THE HUMANS?"

It's a thought that never occurred to Sans, while everybody talked about how they wanted to get to the surface, nobody ever really talked about what would happen afterwards. "well, king asgore is pretty much going to be a god when he gets the souls, right? he'll probably be so powerful that we'll barely have to fight."

"BUT WHAT IS A GOD BEFORE AN ARMY OF HUMANS? CAN A POWER GAINED BY ONLY SEVEN REALLY STAND AGAINST HOWEVER MANY ARE OUT THERE?" Papyrus places his jogboy outfit on his bed, looking over the clothes. "AND HOW MANY WILL WE HAVE TO KILL BEFORE WE WILL BE SAFE? I AM WORRIED THAT WHETHER WE STAY DOWN HERE OR GO OUT THERE, WE WILL ALWAYS BE LIVING IN FEAR."

It's quiet and tense, as Papyrus frowns and absently runs his fingers over the clothes he's pulled out and Sans gapes at him, contemplating his brother's worries.

"I'M SORRY." He says, and laughs quietly, awkwardly. "THAT WAS A LITTLE SAD, WASN'T IT? I DIDN'T MEAN TO SEEM SO PESSIMISTIC. I'M SURE THAT EVERYTHING WILL WORK OUT FINE."

"it sounds like you've been thinking about this a lot lately."

"BECAUSE I CAN FEEL IT TOO. THE WINDS OF CHANGE HAVE BEEN HOWLING THROUGH OUR ICY LITTLE CAVERN, AND THEY'VE BEEN SINGING OF SOMETHING BIG." Papyrus smiles, and it's gentle, almost fragile. "I'M CERTAIN THAT WHATEVER IT IS, IT WILL CHANGE OUR LIVES FOR THE BETTER. I CAN FEEL IT IN MY BONES."

"you don't have to fake optimism for my sake, paps." Sans says, snickering just a bit. He doesn't know how his brother can go from such sad scenarios to hopeful wishing, but it wasn't like Papyrus to dwell on the negative. In fact, Papyrus hardly ever acknowledged the negative.

"MY OPTIMISM IS NEVER FAKE. TO MAKE A BRIGHTER FUTURE, FIRST ONE MUST BELIEVE IN A BRIGHTER FUTURE. NOW IF YOU'LL EXCUSE ME," Papyrus picks up the outfit and heads towards their linen closet. "I AM GOING TO GET READY FOR WORK, SO THAT I CAN GET STARTED ON THAT BRIGHTER FUTURE."

Papyrus picks up a towel and heads into the bathroom, leaving Sans alone in the hallway. Sans heads downstairs and sits at the breakfast table, waiting for Papyrus to get done with his shower so they could eat breakfast together before he goes out.

When Papyrus finally comes downstairs in his alternate outfit, Sans can't help but ask, "why'd you change out of the battle body?"

Papyrus gets started on reheating the porridge he made a day ago as he replies, "I DIDN'T THINK IT'D BE A GOOD IDEA TO GO TO WORK DRENCHED IN YOUR SWEAT. NEXT TIME WE SLEEP IN THE SAME BED, REMIND ME TO CHANGE INTO MY PAJAMAS FIRST."

Sans flushes blue from embarrassment. "sorry, bro." He shrugs. "but you probably don't hafta worry about it. it's not like we normally share a bed." As much as Sans would like to.

"ANYTIME YOU'D LIKE." Papyrus says, sliding a bowl of porridge to Sans as he takes a seat with his own bowl.

"anytime?" If he could, he'd have it be all the time.

"YUP. JUST ONE CONDITION. ANY TIME YOU WANT TO SLEEP IN THE SAME BED AS ME, YOU HAVE TO READ ME A BEDTIME STORY."

"you sure like those, huh?"

"I DON'T KNOW WHY I EVER ASKED YOU TO STOP."

Sans knows why. Because Papyrus grew up and wanted space. He was trying to break away and have freedom and not have to spend every second of his life with his big brother. And now here Sans is, pulling his brother into his bed and forcing him to stay with him because he can't bear to be alone.

Sans twirls his spoon in his bowl slowly, but doesn't eat. He doesn't register when Papyrus leaves. His skull feels like it's filled with cotton, stuffed so full that it's pouring out his eyes and blurring his vision into nothing. It sticks in his mouth and throat, choking him and leaving him gasping.

His porridge is cold by the time he calms down enough to feel his overwhelming hunger. He slowly eats the bland, cold meal.

He thinks it's a good reflection of his soul.

 

Papyrus is worried when he comes home to find Sans still at the table, twirling a spoon in an empty bowl, with an equally empty look in his eyes. "I'M HOME, SANS." He announces, but Sans doesn't even twitch.

He walks over and pulls the spoon out of Sans's hand and picks him up. Sans goes limp like a ragdoll. Papyrus sits him on the couch and takes a spot next to him. He waits patiently for Sans to escape the confines of his mind.

 

"you're home." Sans says, halfway through the newest MTT special. His rubs at his eyes until they can focus in on the soft smile of his brother.

"I SURE AM. I HAD A PRETTY GOOD DAY AT WORK. MY PUZZLES WERE FUNCTIONING PROPERLY, AND UNDYNE AND I APOLOGIZED TO EACH OTHER." Papyrus sighs. "SHE'S BEEN PRETTY ON EDGE LATELY. APPARENTLY THE ROYAL GUARDS ARE ALREADY PREPARING THEIR STRATEGIES FOR THE SURFACE."

"they're really convinced it's coming soon, huh?"

"THEY'RE HOPING IT IS." Papyrus stares up at the roof for a while. "WHAT DO YOU THINK IT'S LIKE UP THERE?"

"wouldn't know, never been. from what i've seen in textbooks, they have a beautiful night sky. some stars make specific patterns in the sky that people have named, they call it constellations. if we ever get up there, i'll take a book up and we can try to find them."

"WHEN."

"hm?"

"YOU SAID IF, YOU SHOULD SAY WHEN."

Sans hums sadly and they go quiet, conversation dropped. After a couple minutes Sans finally breaks the silence. "and then there's the sun. the rises and sets are supposed to be incredible."

"I'VE HEARD THAT ITS WARMTH IS LIKE NO OTHER."

"i don't know, i don't think it'd be able to compare to the warmth of your hugs."

Papyrus pulls Sans close and holds him tightly to his chest. Sans wraps his arms around his brother's back. They stay like that until night falls.

"IT'S TIME FOR BED." Papyrus says, casually breaking their long silence.

"do you want a story tonight?" Sans asks, and they both know he's actually asking if he can sleep in Papyrus's bed tonight.

"YES." They pull apart and head upstairs. Sans heads to his own room first to change into clean pajamas. When he makes it to Papyrus's room, he finds the monster dressed in his own bone covered pajamas and laying in bed, a book in his hands.

Sans slides into the bed and gets into a position where he can comfortably read. Papyrus hands him the book, some sort of introduction to civil engineering, and he opens it up to page one and starts reading.

 

They get through one chapter before Sans puts the book aside and shuts off the light. Papyrus falls asleep quickly, his arms thrown around Sans's shoulders.

Sans doesn't fall asleep so quickly. Instead he stays up, watching Papyrus's chest rise and fall slowly for a while before he turns his attention to Papyrus's calm, sleeping face. His brother is like an angel, always watching over him and caring for him. He puts a gentle hand on Papyrus's cheek.

He doesn't realize he's slowly inching towards his brother's face until his teeth finally meet Papyrus's. He closes his eyes and enjoys the moment. When he finally pulls away and reopens his eyes, it's to Papyrus's own eyes staring intensely at him.

Papyrus reaches up to the hand on his cheek and entwines his fingers with Sans's. Neither of them have to say anything. The overwhelmed look of happiness and love on Papyrus's face says everything needed.

 


End file.
